Gear Rooms and Other Bits | ODC Newsletter 4/24/23

Hello Beautiful ODC Humans!

The last days of class and last regular email of the semester is upon us! Thanks for sticking with us this year as we blazed new trails, met new friends, and tried new concoctions (beer floats help officer elections run smoother). Catch y’all on the flippity flip!

~ mitch

 

 

ANNOUCEMENTS:

LAST WEEK TO BRING BACK YOUR GEAR!! 

  • Oh boy oh boy. My favorite kind of announcement to make! Summer and reduced gear room times are almost here which means it is THE LAST WEEK to BRING BACK YOUR CLUB GEAR! Seriously, don’t let it get lost over the summer. Please return your club gear to a gear room this week or email the officers (outdoors-officers@virginia.edu) to schedule a return time.

Gear Room Time Changes! and Summer Gear Room Policy!

  • This Friday’s gear room will be at 12:30pm instead of 9:15am. Thanks!
  • This will be the LAST WEEK OF REGULAR GEAR ROOMS for the semester. Gear rooms for the summer are on a requested basis. Look out for an upcoming announcement explaining more.

New Officer Positions!

  • This Sunday (4/30) the officers held elections for officer positions! Congratulations on the new position to those listed below!
    • President: Ed Aten
    • Vice-President: Evelyn Needham
    • Treasurer: Max St. Clair
    • Gearmasters: Mitch Lang, Renee Erickson
    • Secretary: Sarah Dowling
    • Webmaster: Melu Tershark
    • PBR (Parties, Bonfires, and Ragers) Chair: Jade Alvarez
    • New Member Liaison: Sujith Panchumarthy

Goodbye old officers!

  • It is with much sadness that we say goodbye to and release into the world the following wonderful officers who have served the club since time immemorial. I truly cannot say enough good things about any of them, we wish them all the best! If you see them around, give them a tearful goodbye!
    • Sophia Benmhend – President
    • Phillip Reeves – Gearmaster
    • Joseph Abbe

Officer Meeting/Elections Notes

  • Here are the notes from our latest officer meeting (4/30).
  • LINK

Wilderness First Aid Courses!

  • Our friends over at MEDIC SOLO are offering some WFA courses in cville soon!  June 10-11, 2023. ODC will reimburse the cost of WFA/WFR if you lead six trips outside the “golden hour”. Please email the officers (outdoors-officers@virginia.edu) beforehand if you would like to apply for this reimbursement.
  • See www.solowfa.com for details and to register!

 

 

GEAR RESOURCES AND POLICY

Gear Room Schedule:

Mon: (5/1) 3:30 pm —> Sophia Benmhend (202) 644-0304
Tues: 10:00 am —>  Will Lankford (202) 321-1197
Weds: 1:00 pm —> Ed Aten (434) 326-8868
Thurs: 5:00 pm —>  Mitch Lang (804) 955-8990
Fri: 12:30 pm —> Phillip Reeves (571) 332-3740

If none of these times work for you, please email the officers outdoors-officers@virginia.edu at least 24 hours in advance to schedule a separate time to be let into the gear room. Please only do this if you really can’t make the gear room times, not just because you don’t feel like it or didn’t plan ahead.

This schedule will ideally be consistent throughout the semester, however, changes may occur. You may stop by the gear room to check out or return gear and be reimbursed at any of the times listed above.  Please text the officer leading the gear room if you will be late. Officers remain at the gear room only for as long as people are checking in/out gear (usually about 20-25 minutes). You may also purchase ODC t-shirts, hoo rags, patches, stickers, and more at the gear room!

BEFORE RETURNING GEAR REFER TO THE GEAR CLEANING DOC BELOW

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bUsjBA8Hy_MyyoLGIpkYciH3lTVKB-9fjO2ZfhXowdY/edit

If you return damaged, dirty, or incomplete gear, you will jeopardize your ability to check out gear in the future. It is your responsibility, not the officers, to return your gear in the condition you received it.

Please refer to our reimbursement policy here.

You can check our gear inventory here.

If you want to check out any water sports gear or a mountain bike, please email the officers at outdoors-officers@virginia.edu. They are stored at separate locations. We ask that you give at least 24 hours notice.

Gear is due one week from when it is checked out unless renewed by an officer at a gear room. Keeping gear past its due date is a UVA Honor Offense. Club trips have priority access to gear.

Directions: Map to Gear Room

Start at Echols Dorm

Go right on McCormick

Turn right on Alderman Rd

Take a left on Leake Drive

Walk to the end of the road. There are several buildings and parking on either side.

Pass a picnic table on the right. Keep going!

Walk straight to the first big maintenance building directly ahead. Walk behind the building on the left side. Walk up the stairs

End: Knock on the door.

 

 

TRIP RESOURCES AND REMINDERS

Leading Trips:

To become a trip leader, thoroughly read the Trip Leader Manual (resources page of the website) and send the officers an email (outdoors-officers@virginia.edu) letting them you know you have done so. They will then activate you on the website! Alternatively, come to a Trip Leader Workshop, lead by the officers several times each semester and posted on the website.

As a reminder, climbing, caving, mountain biking, and whitewater trips have special rules to lead! To learn more about types of trips and to become an approved trip leader for the sports listed above, feel free to contact the club’s Sport Advisors.

If you have questions about how to lead trips, take some time to read through the Leaders Manual and Leading Trips pages under Resources on the club website.

Want to lead a trip for an under-represented group in the outdoors? Lead an Affinity Trip! See the link for details and guidelines.

Absences:

Please be aware that if you are joined on a trip, and you do not show up, or you drop out at the last minute, you are depriving another member of a spot on that trip.

No-shows and last-minute absences not only hurt trip attendance, but they also make logistics more complicated.

If a member is reported for two absences, trip leaders are permitted to take this into account when moving people off wait lists.

Sexual Harassment and Equity Reporting:

Outdoors at UVA is committed to providing a safe and welcoming space for everyone to enjoy the outdoors. If you feel you or another have experienced sexual or gender-based violence or misconduct at the hands of another club member, you can report the misconduct here.

If you feel you or another have experienced harassment based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, etc. at the hands of another club member, you can report the misconduct here.

Outdoors at UVA’s Sexual Misconduct policy can be found on our Resources webpage and is linked here. Our policy for harassment and discrimination is here.

 

 

ADVENTURE OF THE WEEEEEEK!!!

No AOTW this week! Submit next week for a chance to be featured!

(Instructions)

Each week we’ll feature a different adventure that happened within the previous 7 days. To be featured, send us (outdoors-officers@virginia.edu) a couple of pictures of you and your pals adventurin’ and a little blurb about what you did!

We’re reallllllllly stoked to see what y’all get up to – but please. Do not take pictures of people without their consent. And don’t submit them to us without their consent. Don’t be a creep and a weirdo. Try and submit pictures as .jpeg files if possible! (not .heic live photos!)

Who will be the next ADVENTURE OF THE WEEK?!?! we await your submissions!

 

 

OTHER JAWN.

Social Media:

FB: (https://www.facebook.com/groups/OutdoorsAtUVA/)

Insta: (https://www.instagram.com/uvaoutdoors/)

GroupMe: (https://groupme.com/join_group/68250538/0HmzE2tL)

Email Social Chair Shay Utzinger (smu5dv@virginia.edu) with any trip pictures to be featured on the club Instagram!!!!!